The Recluse
by Phoenixzsar
Summary: AU. The safe & tiny world in which author, Ulquiorra, currently surrounds himself in is about to get much bigger after meeting peculiar, Orihime, his new neighbor. There will be Lemon! Rated T for now and M for language and lemon in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

The Recluse

I do not own Bleach or any of its characters...

He never thought of himself as a recluse. He was a successful, bestselling author, always working from home and ordering everything that he required online. He was able to get by in his life by having everything brought and put directly into his hand or right to his front door. It was a wonderful existence not having to deal with people. People were disappointing to Ulquiorra. They disturbed him. Their dependency on others, their failures to achieve success because of their laziness, their complaints about how unfair this world was to them, when in reality, they failed to take responsibility for their actions. Ulquiorra was convinced that they were all just trash. Yes, trash. All of them. He wrote for his own amusement, he created worlds that he at times preferred to live in. He would write anything to escape the excess ignorance of the world.

His Victorian styled house was on a cul-de-sac away from everyone in a small town. His and another house were the only two located comfortably within the dead end. He was happy being desolate. He hardly heard or even saw his neighbor, who just happened to be an astronaut. Now why didn't he think of that? Travelling to the moon, to outer space? Having no one around but the stars and constellations. Due to his demanding job, his neighbor was hardly ever home, so Ulquiorra never had to worry about having anyone bothering him.

This morning was like any usual morning in his two story house. Ulquiorra woke up promptly at six am, showered, fixed his oatmeal, ate, and then headed to his study upstairs. He was sitting in his usual chair, editing some of the content he had written while drinking his hot tea with honey. The knock on the door that came at nine am made him pause. He didn't remember ordering anything and his regular grocery delivery did not arrive until tomorrow afternoon. He waited for a moment until he heard the rapping again. Just when he was feeling particularly engrossed with the editing of his novel, he now felt that the disruption was going to make him lose his momentum. Annoyed, he stood up and headed downstairs. He paused again before hearing the last taps on the door. Hesitantly, he slowly opened the door to find his neighbor, Szayel Aporro Granz, with pink glasses and a gleaming bright grin, enough to blind someone standing next to him. "I am so sorry to bother you Mr. Shiffer, how are you this beautiful and gorgeous morning?" Ulquiorra only looked at him with an unreadable expression. Both men stood frozen staring at each other for what seemed like minutes. Realizing that there was not going to be a response to his question, Szayel immediately got to the point. "Mr. Shiffer, I really hate to bother you, but you see I am going to be leaving for quite some time, because as you know, I _am _an astronaut." Ulquiorra's face remained expressionless.

"I wanted to let you know that I am going to be renting the top part of my house. I had it renovated some time ago and made it into an apartment, as you know, but I never really had the time to get someone in there. I would just feel so much better if there is someone in that house while I am gone." Szayel turned to look at his enormous and expensive looking house, holding his hand to his chest he gazed almost longingly. He turned back to Ulquiorra who had yet to say a word. "Well then, the reason I came over is because I need a favor from you. I have met the tenant that will be moving in, but I forgot to give her the key. If you can believe this, but we were chatting away like old friends that I didn't realize that she had left without it until it was too late." Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow.

"Anyway, I got called in for an emergency at work and I have to go and I don't want to leave the key lying around anywhere, so I am afraid I must impose on you this ONE time. Consider this your neighborly deed for the year…neighbor." Szayel raised his arm and slowly opened his hand to reveal a set of pink and white keys being held on a heart shaped key chain. "Would you mind handing these keys to her?" Szayel was not sure what to think of Ulquiorra's blank face. He really needed to leave and if the asshole neighbor of his would just take the damn keys they both wouldn't be standing here like idiots. It was obvious that his neighbor didn't appreciate him being so damn frigging jolly so early in the morning. Why didn't the alarm go off at the right hour? Why did he stub his toe while heading to the bathroom that morning? Why didn't he just take the research job opening like he had intended? Why did he have to be so curious? He just _had_ to go and see space for himself. Holding his breath Szayel thought to himself…_Just take the frigging keys already!_ Ulquiorra sighed.

Szayel started to slowly close his hand when Ulquiorra reached up and quickly grabbed the odd colored keys, surprising the tall, pink haired man. _Finally, you jerk! _Szayel thought. "I will call her and let her know you have them and she can come and pick them up later on today." Szayel paused again, hoping that the wax statue in front of him would melt with the sun's rays. "Thank you kind neighbor and I shall not forget your kindness." With that, Szayel quickly turned and left Ulquiorra standing alone. "Asshole," Szayel mumbled under his breath as he walked away.

Ulquiorra stood and watched his arrogant neighbor walk away. He really wasn't sure as to why he took the keys. He was ready to tell him that it was none of his business and that he shouldn't become girlfriends with every girl he saw, and just how many fag hags did he have to have anyway? Wasn't there a limit? But that morning, Ulquiorra had woken up perfectly content with his life, knowing that everything was as he wanted, right down to the last detail. Toothpaste lid on? Check. Boil water for his oatmeal and tea for exactly five minutes? Check. No wire hangers? Check. Using his favorite editing mechanical pencil? Check. Since Ulquiorra was obviously in a good mood today, he decided that maybe doing the neighborly act once in a while wouldn't be so bad; once a year sounded perfectly alright with him. Putting the keys in his jeans pocket, he stepped back and closed his door. Ulquiorra paused and took the keys out of his pocket again. Glancing down at them, he was pretty much convinced that the colors and keychain were not likely chosen by this new tenant. As he was heading for the stairs, he stopped and looked out toward Szayel's house, he realized that his study faced his neighbor's residence and yet he had never noticed the side door that led to the apartment or flat that Szayel had mentioned. Somewhat surprised at the fact that he could have missed something like that, he turned to see the stranger that had lived next to him close to five years, packing the last of his luggage in his corvette. _Flamboyant and a showoff, _Ulquiorra noted.

Heading back upstairs, he quickly became annoyed again at the fact that he had wasted twenty minutes that he could have put to good use on his novel. Now that his morning and basically entire day was ruined, he quickly changed into his Adidas sweat pants, sneakers and a loose fitting t-shirt and headed for a run on the trail outside his house.

When Ulquiorra had seen the Victorian styled home and noticed that the back of his house had several acres containing a lush green forest that had an already made hiking trail; he knew he had found the place where he could be at peace. He would be able to run to his heart's content. For Ulquiorra, running was the next best thing to sex. Once he reached his runner's high, he could let his mind be free and that is when his best plot twists and ideas came from. Running and sex, pretty much very close together in satisfaction. But being a so called private person had its drawbacks. Whenever he needed to satisfy himself, he often called on Harribel instead of pleasuring himself. He couldn't very well pick up random strangers and the very idea sickened him and almost disgusted him. He preferred women that were suited to his taste; his women had to be independent, self-assured, and emotionally strong and living their own lives without having to cling to him. Man, how he despised over-emotional women. The clinginess factor was a complete turn off to him; he didn't understand how people could let themselves be controlled by emotions so easily. Harribel was different; she was discreet and didn't make a big deal about them at all. She was a very famous attorney; a hard ass that fought hard for women's rights. Harribel picked up women who were down on their luck or had been used and abused then showed them how to be strong again. All the women eventually became independent themselves, an act that almost impressed Ulquiorra…almost.

Harribel had a whole office filled with women that worked for her, but mostly the three most annoying of them all fighting and arguing about whom was doing what for their boss. What were their names? Mila Rose, Appaci and Sung-Sun or something or other, but they all kept quiet about their discreet and secret affairs. The press was always looking for something to dig up on Harribel and the fact that they had to be so quiet about it had intrigued him even more. The thought of giving her a call later to make one of their usual appointments could make his day head in a much better direction.

XXXX

Orihime was going crazy looking for those keys. She wasn't sure if her new landlord had given them to her or not, she just couldn't remember due to her lack of sleep. These days had been so tiring for her. She had just graduated from college with a degree in social work and was trying to figure out a way to eventually get her Master's degree and then solely focus on working mainly with children. That was the plan, at least.

If it had not been for her friend Tatsuki, she would not have known about her uncle, who was also a social worker who was retiring. Which meant that he was leaving a post open in a small town she had never heard of. Oddly enough, after she sent in her resume and had been interviewed twice, she got the job. Orihime was ecstatic. She would be working with kids of all ages, families who needed help with their already troubled lives. Orihime felt so much for these people and she wanted to guide them in the right direction. Packing all her things had been strenuous because she would begin work on the following Monday and today was Thursday. It was going to be a long weekend; even longer if she didn't find those keys.

Orihime's cell phone rang and she quickly picked it up after zigzagging her way through the labyrinth of boxes. "Hello?"

"Hey there, you!" Szayel's voice echoed through the bad interception.

"Mr. Granz, is that you?"

"Yes. Listen dear; I forgot to give you the keys to the apartment…." Much to Orihime's relief, she wasn't going crazy after all.

"I can barely hear you Mr. Granz, the line has a lot of static!" Orihime moved around the box filled apartment trying to see if she could get a better signal.

"Please call me, -el. I am close to a tunnel in the mountains and I might lose -all but I wanted to let you know that my neighbor has the keys to your apartme-so he - them to you-so you just- get in, okay?" The red haired girl was trying her hardest to press the phone as close to her ear as possible to understand what this man was saying to her. "I am sorry, Mr. Granz, did you say to go into your neighbor's house because they have the keys?"

"Call me Szay-"

The call dropped. Much to Orihime's dismay, she wasn't very convinced as to what she thought she had heard. Apparently his neighbor had the keys. She wasn't too comfortable with the idea of someone handling the keys to her apartment other than her or her landlord but if her landlord trusted them, then it must be okay.

She hurried and put the rest of the boxes in the Uhaul truck that she had rented and finally stood at the front door of her tiny apartment. So many memories she had made here. She remembered her brother taking care of her here, her friend Tatsuki visiting most evenings and all the laughter they had shared, her nervous evenings with Ichigo whenever she had invited him to watch a movie or for dinner. Sadly, that had not amounted to anything after Rukia had moved into town. Yet, she was turning over a new leaf, she was ready to begin a new life and she was going to do it with her head held high and a positive attitude.

She was driving into the town named Littleton and was in awe at how beautiful the little quaint town was kept. Flowers everywhere, people walking along the shops as they window shopped. Some held ice cream cones which made Orihime make a mental note to treat herself after all her packing was done. She drove past the town square where she could see the mosaic made water fountain in full display as it sprayed its water toward the air, creating little rainbows. It made her smile. This little town made her smile. It brought to her an old comfort that she had not felt in a long time. She drove on until she saw the road that would take her to her new apartment.

She had been incredibly lucky finding this place or Szayel finding her. She had been looking at the apartment ads in the newspaper while sitting on one of the café tables outside of the town's little café when she heard someone clear their throat next to her. She had looked up and was surprised to see a very tall, thin man with bright pink hair, pink glasses and a very bright gleaming smile standing next to her. She was almost blinded. He had noticed her looking at the want ads and he had inquired if she was looking for an apartment.

She was leery at first, then as she noticed other people waving to him and stopping him to say hello, she soon felt comfortable. He eventually told her of his profession and that coincidentally he was in dire need of a person that he could rent his newly renovated apartment to. She had expressed to him that she was going to be the new social worker at the Littleton government office and that she was looking for something cheap and readily available. Orihime was amazed at how easy it was to talk to him, she was unsure if it was his gleaming crest smile or the fact that she could easily relate to him, just like one of her girlfriends. She had haggled on the prize of the apartment after she had seen it; she had convinced Mr. Granz that since she was starting out in her career, she wouldn't be able to afford anything too expensive. Szayel was in a hurry to rent, so he had finally given in.

Orihime turned and drove down the brick road that led to her new street. She made sure to slow down so she wouldn't shift anything packed inside the truck. The brick road was a nice touch but it was going to be hell on her car if she ever drove fast on it. She made the right turn and drove up slowly up to the house and parked the truck onto the cement driveway. She was excited that she would have her own garage door as well. She felt very lucky indeed. Stopping the truck, she let out a sigh and prepared herself for the long day ahead of her. But first, she needed to get her keys.

XXXX

Orihime rang the doorbell again. She was pretty sure she understood that Mr. Granz had said that they had the keys. She was sure of it. But Orihime had already been knocking close to five minutes and she was getting a little worried. _Maybe I do have to go in, _she thought. The thought of barging into someone's house made her really uncomfortable but that was what Mr. Granz had said, to just walk right in. Maybe the people couldn't hear her or maybe they had difficulty walking or maybe something happened to them? Her mind started to spinoff hundreds of terrible scenarios and when her mind finally landed on alien kidnapping, Orihime decided to investigate.

She looked around the front porch and peeked inside through the window. The place looked masculine yet clean and simply decorated, but she didn't see any movement. Heading toward the door again, she gained a little bit of courage and turned the knob but it failed to turn. The door was locked. With a sigh, Orihime glanced back toward the window and decided to try a back door. _Of course! The back door! I am so silly; they are probably sitting out back and can't hear me. _With this newfound confidence, she turned the corner of the house and reached the tall wooden gate. Reaching her hand up to try the lock, it snapped open, which quickly brought a smile to her face. She slowly opened the door and poked her head in. The back revealed a pool and a very pretty garden; she saw another gate that probably led to the forest behind the house. No one was there, so she slowly entered, glancing back one last time to make sure that no one had come out to respond to her incessant knocking. She closed the gate behind her and headed toward the French doors. Taking a deep breath, she knocked again and waited. No response. If she was not in desperate need to get the keys to her house she would never be doing something like this. She placed her hand on the knob and turned.

The door slid open without a sound. Orihime bit her bottom lip before calling out, "Hello? This is your new neighbor. I am here to pick up my keys?" Placing one foot in front of the other, she took in her surroundings and was amazed at how clean everything looked. Everything had its place, she could never manage to be that clean, but she wasn't a slob either. She had walked into a very large kitchen with maple colored cabinets lining the walls, stainless steel appliances and a large island that contained the stove and grilling area. Everything looked quite expensive. Making sure she didn't touch anything, Orihime carefully walked straight through the kitchen into the foyer of the house. To the right of her was what looked like the living room and further down was another open room that she pretty sure thought it was a library of something. To the left she could see a big window where she could her new place. The place she had yet to really explore all on her own. She turned to look at the wide winding stairs. _Where is everyone? _She thought nervously. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

Orihime reluctantly put her hand on the rail and slowly began to ascend. The closer she got up the stairs the louder her heart palpitated. "Hello, I am here to pick up my keys?" she called out as she reached close to the last step. Orihime was not sure what had caused the next series of events, but she was incredibly embarrassed nonetheless. As she placed her foot on the last step, the other foot accelerated and the bottom of her sandal caught hold of the rug in front of her, causing her to begin the inevitable fall to the ground. Orihime yelped as she fell on the wooden floor. "Ah! Damn it, this stupid rug! What kind of idiot puts a rug right in front of the steps anyway?"

"The kind that watches where they are going," a voice called out. Orihime froze. Her hair covered her face which blocked her sight to the individual standing in the hallway. She slowly rose and pushed her hair out of her face and glanced at the half naked man standing in front of her in a white fluffy towel that covered his nether region. Later, she would try to analyze how her face had looked, how much time had passed staring at the half naked man and also wondered if maybe she had drooled. Out of nervous instinct, Orihime giggled as she slowly stood up, massaging her wrist.

"Do you generally make it a habit breaking into other people's homes?" Ulquiorra asked, surprisingly un-phased by the stranger before him.

"Wha-? No, err, I knocked. Really, I did! And for a very long time, too!" she blurted. The fact that he had not moved and was standing there in his lack of apparel made her quite nervous and flustered. She tried not to glance at his well-defined chest and arms. The hard six pack that still held droplets of water from his shower. The towel that was hung low at his waist, covering his…Orihime quickly glanced up, with a heavy breath. "Uh, Szayel said that I could come in to get my key?" she added shyly, feeling the goose bumps creating a wave of her electricity on her arms.

"Szayel told _you _to just walk into _my_ house and get your keys?" a suspicious look began to take shape on his face. He eyed her, trying to figure out if she was really that silly to think that it was okay to waltz into another person's home as if it was not a big deal. And possibly ruin his furniture in the process. He had to admit, she was a good looking woman; reddish brown hair, big brown eyes, a heavy chest covered by a white t-shirt that had an angel's wings design on it, short jean shorts that covered her well rounded bottom and round hips. Her legs looked smooth and she was wearing, the likely culprit of her fall…flip-flops. He immediately snapped back into attention at the sound of the woman's voice.

"Listen, I am really sorry but I didn't mean to barge in like this, I honestly thought that someone might answer the door when I knocked. I have all my stuff in a Uhal and I need to return it by 2 pm. So, please understand why I was a bit irrational and did enter your house without permission. It really is a big misunderstanding, truly it is." The social worker in Orihime began to take control. If she could just give her honest explanation, apologize, get her keys and move on…that would be great. She also needed to get away from him quickly in his present state. Ulquiorra looked her over once more, then turned around and walked away from her and into a bedroom. Orihime was not sure whether to wait or to follow but before she could take a step forward, the reason for her heated cheeks returned…this time, with a shirt on.

"Here, forget this happened," he softly stated while looking at her wrist, "How's your wrist? Is it hurt? I can call a cab so they can take you to the hospital, you can just tell them to send me the bill." If ever at all, Ulquiorra ever showed concern on his face, this would be the time closest to it. He looked at her, eyebrows furrowed; the last thing he wanted was a lawsuit in his hands. Even if she had intruded on his property, no one was safe from such parasites nowadays.

"No, no…I am fine, thank you! Again, I am _really_ sorry!" Orihime grabbed the keys as fast as she could from Ulquiorra's outstretched hand. She slowly walked backward and stopped to look down at the rug again to make sure she didn't trip on it this time. "I am really sorry to inconvenience you, but thank you so much for holding my towel-ah! Err, I-I-I mean my keys!" She could feel her face turning a crimson red and she noticed an amused expression on her new neighbor's face. Without a second thought, Orihime began to quickly descend down the stairs and head toward the front door. She was pretty sure she would begin to hyper-ventilate right about now since she was now having trouble opening the door. Should she go out the back door? She didn't have time to think twice, she spun and quickly ran through the foyer, the kitchen and then out the French doors. As if being chased, Orihime ran toward the gate and opened the door in a flash. Finally, her freedom…she ran until she reached the truck and rested her arm on it and took a deep breath. _Holy crap! What a nightmare!_ She thought to herself as she started to take control of her breathing. She took one glance at the place she had just run away from and hoped to never set foot in his place again.

XXXX

Ulquiorra smirked through the whole ordeal. He had leaned over the stair rail to get a better view of his incredibly entertaining new neighbor. Once she realized that she wouldn't be able to open the door, he could see the panic in her eyes as she turned and ran for his kitchen. He walked over to the window in his study and could now see her running toward the truck she had rented. His day had suddenly gotten very interesting. He had rapidly forgotten about being upset at the fact that he had been rudely interrupted and his house had been basically been broken into. At least he no longer had to be held liable for other people's responsibilities. Hand the keys to his new neighbor? Check. Szayel had not better ask him for another favor anytime soon, he wouldn't even allow him to say a word because he would gladly shut the door on his face.

Looking at the clock, he headed back to his bedroom to get dressed; he didn't want to miss his pending appointment with Tia. It had been a while since they had been together and he had certainly needed the release. Oddly enough after this quirky incident he felt more relaxed. Ulquiorra respected Tia's time, so missing this appointment after she had gone out of her way to re-arrange her schedule to see him was out of the question. He finished getting ready and headed out the door. A quick glance out the window and he could see his neighbor carrying small boxes up the stairs. Several men were out there, one with a funky looking orange shag for hair, a very tall and dark looking man, and a lean man with glasses. It appeared that they were helping with all the heavy furniture, while his neighbor and two other dark haired girls were only handling the small stuff. Ulquiorra had wondered if she was going to need help moving her possessions into the apartment, but he had quickly brushed that thought away as quickly as it came. But he felt a sense of relief that she would not be moving her things without any help. Not that he cared he had thought to himself, he just did not want to be bothered with any of it. He finished putting on his black blazer, headed to the garage and got into his black BMW.

Forty minutes later, Ulquiorra reached the secluded café in another small town. He looked around to see if Tia had already arrived but to no avail. Opening the door, he decided to meet her inside, at their usual table located in the very back. It was a dark setting; one could classify it as romantic. Creating the mood had been his choice in order for the evening to end how he wanted it. He needed her at her most passionate, because he could be very greedy. Their relationship was very cordial, not much to talk about when it came to them. Their discussions were mostly of politics and their careers, which usually took up a lot of their time when they spoke. They would have a couple of drinks and sometimes order something light to eat. They would then head to the hotel across the street, to the room that Ulquiorra usually already had reserved. They would last for several hours and Ulquiorra would shower and leave the room while Tia was sleeping. It was better that way. They both had other priorities. There was no need to ruin a good thing.

Ten minutes had passed and there was still no sign of her. Ulquiorra couldn't tolerate people being late, especially when they were late to meet him. At that moment, his cell phone rang and he saw that it was Tia's office. "Yes?" Ulquiorra answered.

"The least you can do is say hello!" the voice at the other end of the receiver yelled, which made Ulquiorra sigh and glance at the ceiling. He swore that that girl _really _disliked him, which wasn't much of a surprise since most people didn't. "Where's Tia, Emily?" he asked.

"She called me to tell you that she was called away to an emergency meeting concerning her new case. She is not going to make it to your little book club today, unfortunately for you." Ulquiorra refrained from rolling his eyes.

"Thanks." Was his response and hung up. Ulquiorra was not bothered that he was going to continue his light lunch alone.

XXXX

"Thank you so much for helping, Kurosaki." Orihime said. Ichigo slid down the door to the back of the moving truck. "Hey, no problem Inoue, we're glad that we could help you out!" responded her orange haired friend.

"I know we are all sweaty but I am starving! Why don't we head to that fast food place that we saw coming into town?" suggested Rukia. Orihime turned to look at her friend Rukia, who was coming down the stairs with an empty box. She had short black hair that was cut into a bob; she was slim and very pretty. Her beautiful violet eyes reflected an inner strength and confidence that Orihime wished she could have. No wonder Ichigo had fallen so easily for her.

"I think that's a great idea, Rukia! I am starving myself. I could definitely eat a couple of burgers…" Ichigo responded. "How about it guys?"

Sado closed the door of his SUV, headed over to the growing group and nodded toward Ichigo. His quiet demeanor never concerned any of his friends. Yet others that didn't know him very well, could easily be intimidated by his tall and well-muscled body. "That sounds fine, it would be better for me anyhow since I am flying to Mexico tonight." Having a keen sense for business, Sado had become a very successful antiques furniture dealer who regularly travelled around the world to purchase carefully selected items for his boutiques.

Ichigo turned to look at him surprised, "Are you going to miss the game this Sunday? Don't forget that we are playing against those guys from Rukongai. They keep talking trash about our skills, man! I think it's time to show them who owns that soccer field."

Sado looked at his friend with a serious look, "Don't worry, I'll be there."

Tatsuki was heading down the stairs with Ishida following close behind. "I don't know why you Neanderthals get so fiercely competitive with Rukongai, Ichigo! You guys press each other buttons all the time; it's like watching 5 year olds fight!" Orihime giggled at her friend's comment.

"Hey! I hope you know that you are just as competitive as the rest of us Neanderthals!" responded Ichigo, annoyed. "Besides, I want to kick their ass once and for all!" He crossed his tanned muscular arms across his chest and leaned back against the truck casually.

"Now, now kids. Let's play nice." interrupted Ishida in all seriousness. "There's no need to argue about a silly game. Getting back on topic here, I wish I could join you for lunch but I have to head on over to my father's company. There is going to be a company picnic and I am in charge of the arts and crafts booth. "

"How'd you get stuck with the arts and crafts booth?" asked Rukia, as she tilted her head in wonder.

"I didn't get stuck with it. I chose it." answered Ishida, as he pushed his glasses up on the ridge of his nose. He looked quite happy and proud of his decision.

All dumbfounded eyes landed on Ishida. "Arts and crafts, huh?" asked Tatsuki unimpressed.

"Uh, we better get going you guys, I have to return the truck soon and I don't want to get overcharged if I am late!" said Orihime quickly. She truly admired Ishida for who he was, so what if he liked to sow and enjoyed arts and crafts? They all had quirky habits or hobbies and it bothered her that Ishida was always viewed as having the weirdest ones.

Even though they had briefly dated in high school they both eventually agreed that they made better friends than lovers. Yet he held a special place in her heart as he had always been there for her. She had always felt a little guilty because she knew that he had always suspected that she had feelings for Kurosaki Ichigo. After her and Ishida had agreed to break up, she finally had gotten the courage to invite Ichigo to dinner at her house. The following week, Rukia had transferred to their school. Ichigo was asked to escort her around and from that point on, they became inseparable. She sighed and shook the memory away and got into the moving truck. She waited for everyone to drive away then she and Tatsuki eventually followed.

XXXX

Orihime plopped on the couch with much relief. She was done moving all her things and everyone had gone home except for Tatsuki. Her shoulders hurt and her feet were throbbing. "You know, I can't stress this enough Orihime but this is a really nice place, and for the amount of rent you are paying? I just might ask Mr. Pink Lady himself if he has an extra room available." Orihime giggled. Yes, she felt very lucky, indeed. Tatsuki sat down next to her and handed her a cup of instant ramen. "Ah, quick comfort food," Orihime exclaimed. They both sat in silence enjoying their hot soup, listening to the musical sound of the crickets outside.

"They are trying to attract female crickets. "Orihime said as a matter of fact.

"What's that? Who's trying to attract hot and sexy females, Hime?" Tatsuki asked with an amused tone in her voice. She was used to her friend's random comments and wild imagination.

"The hunky male crickets, of course! They rub the top part of their wing to the bottom part of the other wing and it creates their cricket sound to attract the females. Just imagine a bunch of horny Jiminy crickets running along trying to get laid." She responded with an exhausted laugh.

"Thank you for running Jiminy Cricket's wholesome image for me!" laughed Tatsuki. "That's exactly what I needed right now. I feel less and less like a kid every time you and I talk. And to think, I used to be so pure and virginal."

"Oh honey, _you_ being pure and virginal? Riiighht! _I_ am the one that has been corrupted by you, my dear friend! You should thank me now because I think I saved you from your fall from grace." Orihime continued in melodramatic bouts and tried not to choke on her soup whilst giggling. They giggled until their tummies hurt.

Once they had calmed down, Orihime's face suddenly turned serious. "Thank you for staying the night, Tatsu. I really appreciate it." She put the cup down on the floor and leaned back and put her head on her friend's shoulder. She had a bit of nostalgia sitting next to her friend. Even more so when she realized that her longtime friend would no longer be right next door.

As if reading her mind, her friend said, "Oh, it won't be so bad, Hime! I'll still come and bug you a whole lot! Besides, I wanted to give you the good news. I waited to tell you until you were settled but I am really excited and I can't hold it in anymore." Orihime lifted her head and they both moved and faced each other.

"What's going on, Tatsu? You _do _seem excited, tell me!" she grabbed her friend's hand into her own.

"Well, you know how Renji is totally obsessed with tattoos, right? So, he applied for a loan in order to start his own tattoo parlor. Well, needless to say…HE GOT APPROVED!" Orihime squealed in excitement and hugged her friend tightly. "Oh, I am so happy for you guys! Where are guys going to put the place?"

"Do you remember that spot that was being leased right next to the dojo where I work at? Well, right there! We went to see about the price and we haggled a bit and they didn't come down as much as we had hoped but, enough so that we would be able to move in and get the extra equipment and other things," explained Tatsuki. Orihime felt really happy for her friend that she started tearing up. "Oh, no don't do that, you are supposed to be happy for me! Be happy? See, like this." Tatsuki grabbed Orihime's cheeks and pulled up to make a contorted smile which made her friend giggle.

"I can't help it Tatsu, I am genuinely happy for you and sometimes I get a bit emotional, I know! I mean, you guys have been searching for quite some time. Both you and Renji have been working really hard. It was about time that something great happened, you know? I mean, ever since-"her voice trailed off.

"I know. You don't have to say it," replied the dark-haired girl gloomily, "…the accident changed all of our lives, there's no need to go there, okay?" Both girls stayed quiet for some time, each wanting to abandon the confines of their own memory but unable to do so. Orihime tapped her foot nervously which made her friend take notice.

"Orihime? Have you been taking your pills?" her friend asked curiously.

"Huh? Oh, uh, not really. I've been really busy lately with packing and making sure I am getting prepared for my first day at work that I haven't really thought about it. But I am okay, no problems." Orihime tried to sound convincing.

"So, no migraines?" she looked at her friend suspiciously, "Orihime, those pills are supposed to help suppress your headaches."

"I said it was okay. Tatsu I know you worry, but trust me…I am fine." Orihime smiled at her and Tatsuki didn't press the issue further, not this time. She had always taken care of her friend and yes, she was worried. Yet, Orihime had matured throughout the years and she felt herself less and less needed. In a way it kind of hurt her feelings still. She had been so used to fighting Orihime's battles that it had become like second nature to just take care of her. But after the accident that had left her in a coma for six months, everything changed. Orihime had stayed with her almost every day to make sure she was taken care of and when Tatsuki had learned how to walk again, her dear friend had been there for support. It seemed as if the tables had turned at times.

Orihime noticed the change in her friend and immediately reached out to her. "Hey, you know that if anything happens, you are the first one I will call on, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Anyway, we should set up your bedroom so we can get some sleep, I am tired." She said which was then quickly followed by a yawn. She stood, stretched and pulled her red haired friend up as well.

"Ugh, I don't wanna!" whined Orihime and lazily followed her friend toward her bedroom. At times like this she wished she had magical powers to just poof her stuff to where it needed to go. She was hoping that with her friend's motivation she will get a lot of it done before her weekend came to an end.

XXXX

Tatsuki woke with a start to the sound of something falling. She groggily glanced over to where Orihime was supposed to be sleeping and found that the space was empty. The sound of another falling item made her jump. She pulled the sheets away from her and headed toward the bedroom door, "Orihime? Are you alright?" There was only silence. "Orihime?" she searched for the light switch and didn't find it. _Shit! Where the hell is it?_ She continued to feel for the switch with no luck. "Orihime! Answer me!" she raised her voice a bit more. The darkness prevented her from seeing clearly and not knowing where the boxes had been placed around the house, she had to rely on her outstretched arms to guide her. She paused when she heard someone giggle. _Okay, that was fucking creepy!_

"Orihime, answer me, NOW! You know I don't like to play stupid hiding games like this! It's really starting to piss me off!" Tatsuki wasn't lying. She had never been a fan of hiding games, many of her hide and seek games usually ended with her beating someone up. The only thing they managed to do was frustrate her to no end. And she was feeling incredibly frustrated right about now. She came upon a box and felt her way around it. A flash suddenly made her yelp and she covered her eyes in order to reduce the pain that had just pierced them.

"Really, Tatsuki, I just turned the light on. There is no need to freak." Orihime giggled. Tatsuki tried to adjust her eyes to the light but the pain from the sudden brightness still lingered. "Ah! What the hell is wrong with you? Why didn't you say anything when I called?" Orihime only looked at her with a faraway look but didn't respond. Tatsuki's sight was clearing and her eyes were finally adjusting to her surroundings, yet the sight of Orihime made her want to throw up. "Oh my god, Orihime! You are bleeding!" She quickly ran to her motionless friend and frantically began searching for a wound. Her mind railing, she only focused on Orihime's shirt and her friend's hair covered in blood.

"Fuck! Fuck! Oh my god! Oh my GOD! Orihime! What is wrong with you! Look at me, what did you do?" Orihime only looked at her desperate friend with a glazed look in her eye. "Where's my phone? I need to call 911!" Tatsuki looked around frantically around for her phone but she didn't want to step away from her friend. _Why is this happening, what the fuck is happening?_

"Sandwich."

Tatsuki's heavy breathing was the only sound to be heard in the room. She slowly turned to Orihime unsure if she had heard correctly. "W-what?" she focused her eyes on her friend's face.

"I want a sandwich. Do you want one, too?" Orihime whispered. Tatsuki only stared at her; she didn't know whether to slap her or throw her head back and laugh hysterically. Her eyes trailed down to the red substance on her friend's shirt. She lifted her finger, dabbed it on the red matter and pressed it on her tongue. _Ketchup._

Orihime was sleep walking again.

XXXXXX

Okay, so I couldn't get this story out of my mind. I have re-written it several times and it just won't go away! I hope you guys like it, seriously. Otherwise I will be writing just like Ulquiorra...for myself and you can all suck it. hehehe

I do want to point out that some of the things happening here are from life experience, except the walking into someone's house w/out the being invited part and finding a gorgeous nekkid man in a towel. hehehe

Also, this story has tiny details from my life, like I live on a brick road which is very pretty and a bitch on my car and other things that I dare not say yet...

Well, until next time! Mua! *kiss flutters at you*


	2. Chapter 2

The Recluse

Chapter 2

Ulquiorra awoke to the sound of rain softly pattering against his window. He turned toward his clock and noticed the time to be 5:59 am. The dark clouds outside created the somber and gray ambiance within his bedroom. He briefly remembered the remnants of his dream; someone with red hair, brown eyes and a hand reaching out to him? Yet it was slowly slipping away from him as he adjusted his eyesight toward the ceiling. He always had trouble recalling his dreams and this one he could barely make sense of as it slowly disintegrated from his mind.

Ulquiorra's attention shifted as his alarm screamed that it was 6 am. It was time to get up. He removed the covers off his body and headed toward the bathroom to freshen up. Once downstairs, his regular routine continued. The methodical man waited five minutes then grabbed the stainless steel tea kettle and poured water into his tea cup, which already had a pool of honey waiting to be dissolved by water's heat. Ulquiorra noticed movement from the corner of his eye and turned his head toward the window that faced his neighbor's house. A white silhouette stood on the balcony of his neighbor's apartment and it made him pause. The figure had long red hair and was wearing what appeared to be a long white nightgown. She was leaning forward over the balcony rail and had her hand reaching out as if she was trying to grab something.

He turned his body sideways and leaned against the counter, giving him a better view of her. He was curious as to what she was doing exactly. He heard her yell something but he could not make out her words. He stepped closer to the window as she quickly turned and headed down the stairs. His eyes followed her until he could no longer see her. The closed white wooden shutters which covered the bottom half of his window prevented him from seeing more. Placing his hand on the shutter's knob, he suddenly realized what he was doing. He was spying on the woman. The sudden realization made his hand release the knob almost as if had scorched his skin. Turning away from the windows, he grabbed his tea cup and headed upstairs to continue work on his current project.

XXX

Orihime couldn't believe that she was almost late for work because of that damned cat that had been scratching at her door. She had called out to it but she failed to interest it further and it had eventually run away. Feeling relief for arriving at the office five minutes before her scheduled time, she went inside. After getting all the introduction formalities and orientation out of the way, she had been shown her new office by her colleague Mizuiro Kojima. He was much shorter in stature, had long black hair that rested below his ears and had a kind face. He quickly stacked files on her desk. "Sorry, Ms. Inoue, but we all have to do this for the moment. The secretary that handles these things decided not to show up for work today. "

"It's okay, Mr. Kojima; I need to familiarize myself with how things work around here, anyway. It will give me time to review some of these cases." She kindly replied and took the heavy stack he handed to her.

"Please, call me Mizuiro. There's no need for such formalities, if you need any assistance, I will be right next door." He advised her with a sincere smile and he left her so she could begin her work.

Several hours had passed when she heard a knock on her door. Mizuiro opened the door and making sure it was okay with his co-worker, he walked in. "Inoue, I wanted to speak with you about your first case." He said politely.

"Sure, take a seat." She happily replied.

"I had spoken with the board of directors last week, concerning how to handle this special case. Now, generally we would have you take smaller cases to begin with. But they felt that you would be able to handle this one without having to worry about others for the moment," he explained.

"Oh, okay." Orihime was intrigued.

Mizuiro continued. "You see, this case involves a seventeen year old boy, Yuki Nagame. He's been sent from foster home to foster home since he was six years old. His parents are deceased or so it has been concluded," he leaned forward as he continued explaining, "You see, Yuki and his family went on a family camping trip here at the local camping grounds. Needless to say that, days later, Yuki was found wandering the forest alone without any memory of what happened to his parents. They were never seen or heard from again." Mizuiro said uncomfortably.

"Oh, my goodness!" Orihime's heartstrings pulled at the thought of a young boy losing his family. She had not met the boy but already she had something in common with him…the loss of a loved one. "So, let me guess? He has trouble building relationships because he is afraid of losing those ties, right?" She mostly wondered out loud.

"You could say that." He paused," But most of his caregivers don't feel very comfortable being around him. Oddly enough they find him creepy or a bit on the shy side. Overall, he's a good kid but he just doesn't connect with people very well." Mizuiro stood up and walked to the door. "Anyways, I want to introduce him to you, Inoue." He stood and opened the door and signaled to someone to come in. Orihime watched as Mizuiro stepped aside and let in a tall young man with a lean but fit build. He had shoulder length black hair, brown eyes and his clothes appeared neat and clean. It was difficult to believe that he was seventeen but the look in his eyes indicated that he was much wiser beyond his years.

Orihime stood and outstretched her hand and the boy accepted her welcome. "Nice to meet you, Yuki, I will be your new counselor. You may call me Ms. Inoue."

"Nice to you meet you, Ms. Inoue. " She let go of his hand and directed him to take a seat. Mizuiro led the conversation for the remainder of the time. Occasionally, Orihime would glance at Yuki, yet each time, she found him staring at her. _He's just curious, _she thought to herself.

"So, now that we have an understanding of what we each expect from each other, we will proceed with the scheduled appointments, Yuki will you follow me out?" Yuki quickly stood and smiled at Mizuiro, "Certainly, Mr. Kojima," he turned and smiled at Orihime but added before stepping out, "Ms. Inoue, it was really nice to meet you. I look forward to our next meeting."

"I am looking forward to it, as well, Yuki," she replied thoughtfully.

XXX

Ulquiorra was in deep thought when he heard the sound of a trash can being knocked over. He immediately headed to determine the cause of the disruption. Once he was downstairs he headed toward the kitchen and opened the wooden shutters that he had almost opened that morning. He looked down to find a white cat sitting on top of one of the lids. _Ugh, how I hate felines!_ He thought to himself. He opened the French doors that lead outside and headed to make sure it had not made a mess of his well-organized trash. As he stepped outside he noticed his neighbor's car pull into her drive way, he paused but then continued to head toward the animal covered in white fur, surprisingly enough it had only knocked down a lid which he quickly replaced.

Orihime saw her neighbor heading toward the white cat she had seen earlier that morning. She somehow built up the courage to greet him. "Hi, there! Is that your cat?" If it was, she would definitely explain to him in detail the damage it had done to her door.

Ulquiorra looked at her without saying a word as he watched her approach him. He had not noticed it before but there was something very familiar about her yet he could not really pin point to what it was. "He is not mine. I do not own a pet." As he responded to her, his eyebrow shot up in surprise as once again, the woman tripped and fell, landing on her hands and knees. _Sheesh, what is it with this woman and her lack of equilibrium?_ He forgot about the cat and headed over to assist her.

"Ow, ow, ow! My knee! Damn it!" Orihime swore and she tried to soothe her now aching knee. She looked up to see the outstretched hand of a very handsome man. She was not sure as to why she had not noticed before the depth of his bright green eyes and blue black hair but from the angle she was currently in, he seemed incredibly handsome and almost gallant. So much so that it literally took her breath away, as she reached for his hand, she could have sworn that there was some sort of electricity building up in the air surrounding them. The intensity in his eyes made her blush and turn her head away.

"Thank you, uh… "She replied for his chivalrous act but all at once realized that she had yet to know his name, "I'm sorry but I feel awkward not knowing your name?"

Ulquiorra eyed her with the same intensity as before; the sudden chill he had felt had not gone unnoticed when he had touched her. "It's Ulquiorra Cifer and you are..?"

"Orihime Inoue." As she stood there mesmerized by his fascinating eyes, she eventually forced herself to look down only to notice that her hand was still holding on to his. "Oh, I am sorry, I didn't realize, that I…" her voice full of embarrassment trailed away when she heard the sound of a cat meowing. They both glanced down at their feet and found the cat purring and caressing Ulquiorra's leg.

"I think I will call animal control. "Ulquiorra remarked annoyed.

"No! Please don't! I am sure it belongs to someone, I can print some flyers to find its owner." Orihime said to him. She leaned down and picked up the white ball of fur and began to pet it. The animal quickly warmed up to her, "He's so cute! I think I will call him Shiro, don't you think he looks like a Shiro?"

"He's a she." Ulquiorra noted.

"Wha-? Oh." Embarrassed for not noticing before, Orihime could only smile. She could feel the warmth on her cheeks much stronger than before. Yet the thought of having a temporary pet made her happy. She glanced up at her new male friend, "Listen, I want to apologize for what happened the other day. I was in a hurry and I completely misunderstood what Szayel was trying to tell me over the phone."

"I thought I mentioned that we would forget that incident?" Ulquiorra replied. He looked up at the sky as it rumbled in a threating manner. He found himself in a dilemma, he didn't particularly want to go back inside, yet standing in the rain getting soaked was not his idea of a good time either. "To confirm that it has all been forgotten…" he paused. He was quite surprised at himself for what he was about to do. Yet he found that he was trying hard to convince himself that it was to prove to this woman that he was not holding any grudges, "would you like to join me for tea?"

"Tea? Uh, sure." She responded without thinking. "Do you mind if I change my clothes first? I need to get out of these heels that keep sinking into the soft dirt," Orihime began to walk away but it became quite difficult to carry her purse and the cat together, all while trying to keep her balance. Ulquiorra walked up to her then gestured to her to hand over the animal. He grabbed the cat, took her hand and anchored it in his elbow. Orihime felt the heat increase in her face with great intensity as she held on to him for dear life. She felt so silly for having charged up to him without even thinking that her heels would have sunk into the dirt. It was two times now that she made a complete fool of herself in front of this man, but for some reason this time it was even more embarrassing.

XXX

Ulquiorra noted that Orihime's living room was modest but it was suitable for a single tenant. The kitchen, he had noticed, was spacious enough for two people to move around in comfortably. Yet the dining room was small much like the living room. He also realized that there weren't any pictures hanging on the walls yet. "I will be right there!" Orihime yelled from her bedroom. Ulquiorra continued to slowly pace her apartment as he waited. He turned toward the sound of her bedroom door opening and was taken aback as to how well she looked, even in a plain white t-shirt and jeans with her hair pulled up in a ponytail, she looked remarkable.

"I hope it's okay that I wear this? Being in a suit all day can be a bit confining." She said.

"It is only tea, Orihime. Nothing formal," responded her guest. She glanced down and couldn't help grabbing the end of her shirt and twisting to make use of her hands. He had said her name. "Shall we leave then?"

She headed after him and stopped. "Wait, I know this might be a bit of an inconvenience but, do you mind if we head to the store to buy some cat litter real quick? I would hate to comeback and find a stinky surprise by the front door."

_The store? _ Ulquiorra thought. When was the last time he had been to a store? It had been 17 months since he had last stepped into one if he recalled correctly. The thought of the bright lights, hokey music and dull looking people was enough to make him decline.

"Please? I promise that I'll be quick?" pleaded Orihime. To this, Ulquiorra sighed and nodded his head in approval. Orihime smiled at him and grabbed her keys. "We'll be back, Shiro! Don't do anything naughty!" The feline meowed in response.

Ulquiorra was not surprised that she would be the type to talk to a cat.

XXXX

Thanks for the review, watches and favs! I am glad that you guys are interested. I did a big chapter previous to this one but I wanted to put this out quickly so I could really begin on their interaction! :) Let me know what you think?

Btw, I have a white cat, whom I like to call Nemu, and she is fluffier that a goose-down pillow!

On a side note, I start school today again, so I hope I don't get delayed or distracted with this story because I have so many ideas! :D


	3. Chapter 3

The Recluse

Chapter 3

I don't own Bleach (or any of its characters), Greg Maroney (or any of his beautiful songs).

After the very awkward trip to the store, Orihime had noticed that Ulquiorra had not spoken very much. She had found it odd that most of the people in the store had been staring at them, somewhat surprised. Yet she had no idea as to why. She had briefly mentioned it to Ulquiorra but he had merely shrugged and had kept on walking. The rain had started pouring by the time she had gotten to her apartment and set up the litter box for Shiro. She grabbed her umbrella and headed over to Ulquiorra's place. The sun had set an hour before but she was relieved for the spotlights that shone brightly to guide her way. Orihime decided to walk around on the street in order to avoid getting mud on her shoes by taking the shortcut across. She suddenly stopped and turned as she heard a noise behind her near the entrance to Szayel's part of the house. She tried to focus her eyes but she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. She turned and headed toward Ulquiorra's house and knocked on his door.

Ulquiorra opened the door and let his guest in. "I took the liberty to make dinner; I hope you do not mind."

"Oh, you didn't have to go through the trouble, I was thinking of throwing stuff together when I got home. Literally." Orihime's mouth began to water once she smelled the delicious scent which wafted from the kitchen. "Wow, Ulquiorra, it smells delicious, what is it?"

"Grilled Portobello with Roasted Red Pepper and Mozzarella," was his response. Orihime turned to look at him with an astonished look on her face, "Oh, you're fast. A sandwich would have been fine." She said somewhat reluctantly.

"I had some of it prepared earlier today. The dish sounds fancy but easy to prepare." He explained and to that Orihime nodded.

Ulquiorra prepared the two plates and tea and they both sat to eat their meal. The silence was a heavy and a bit unpleasant. Orihime felt annoyed with herself as she remembered swearing to herself that she would never enter his house again. Yet, there she was, sitting there eating his food and liking it, too.

"Uh, so, what do you do for a living?" asked Orihime.

"I am a writer." He replied as he continued to delicately eat his food and drink his tea. Such manners impressed Orihime and somewhat made her self-conscious of her own lack of table etiquette. She tried to follow suit but continued to feel more nervous by the moment. She tried to concentrate on the conversation at hand.

"Ah, I am not sure I have read any of your books, what genre do you write?" she asked.

"I tend to focus on Fiction and sometimes dabble in Science Fiction." He replied.

"Ooh, my friends tell me that I should write Science Fiction novels because they think I have a very over active imagination," she giggled as she explained, "I don't blame them though, my mind has been known to wonder at times. I guess I just tend to see the unlimited possibilities in life, I suppose." The word unlimited seemed to be more of an understatement to her.

Ulquiorra listened intently to every word that his guest spoke. From what he had gathered since he had met her, she seemed clumsy, fidgety and silly at times. But he was surprised that her company did not bother him, it did just the opposite as a matter of fact, and it was mildly interesting. Every so often his eyes would meet hers and would linger longer than intended until she would quickly glance away.

"And what is it that you do, Orihime?" he asked coolly.

Orihime looked up and smiled, "I am a social worker. Actually, I just started today at the offices located close to the square. I think I am going to like it, the people seem really nice."

They continued making polite conversation. Feeling content as he finished his meal, Ulquiorra rested his elbows on the table and looked at the woman sitting across from him. He noticed that she was getting fidgety again; he couldn't ignore the incessant tapping of her foot against her chair. The silence and his staring were making her nervous. Orihime tried to think of something to say.

"You know, I am really passionate about dance; at least I used to be. I used to take ballet classes when I was a little girl. My brother used to take me to my dance recitals, and afterward we would head out for ice cream. As a little girl, I was convinced that I when I grew up, I would be dancing with the New York City Ballet Company. It's funny how things don't generally turn out how one plans them. Don't you agree?" she said.

Ulquiorra looked away from her and stood up suddenly. He walked and stood next to her and extended his hand. Looking up at him and then at his hand she slowly laid hers delicately onto his. "I would like to show you something, Orihime." Once she stood, he led her though the living room and slid the set of doors which led to the adjoining room open. The girl gasped as she saw the rows of books lining the walls, the mahogany leather couch and chairs and a baby grand piano sitting in the middle of the large room. Without turning to look at her, he let go of her hand and slowly walked to the instrument and carefully caressed the edge of the piano. He walked around until he reached the bench and sat down. "As a child, I wanted to be a pianist. Both my parents were diligent with my studying and understood that I had a talent and they helped me nurture that." He went silent and glanced at Orihime who was now standing next to the piano.

Orihime was not sure as to why she felt as if he had shared something really special with her but she couldn't bring herself to ask more. There was a heavy tension in the air and it was almost suffocating her. It left her throat feeling dry, made her spine tingle and she was having trouble looking away from him. The more she shared time and space with his person, the more she wanted to understand him, to really know him. Orihime couldn't deny that there was certain loneliness to his demeanor at times and it pulled at her heart.

"Ulquiorra, could you play something?" Orihime asked as she leaned closer. Ulquiorra lifted the fall board and placed his fingers on the keys. Orihime recognized the song and closed her eyes and enjoyed the beautiful melody resonating within the room. A smile began to spread across her face and she felt her mind begin to wander. She pictured herself dancing again with a background full of stars as she marveled at the swiftness of her feet like she once had. He mind took her to a place where the wind gently blew and she could feel it caress her skin and saw the moon shining brightly above her. She couldn't remember the last time she had danced or let alone imagined doing so. The sense of freedom that Orihime had once let her body possess began to spark and rise within her. The tempo slowed, and then sped up; it almost felt as if he was teasing her. Pushing and pulling. Ulquiorra's side glances of Orihime during the slow movements brought a tiny smile to his lips. He wanted her to enjoy this, to absorb it.

As Ulquiorra's talented fingers brought the song to an end. She began to feel the void that she had tried to ignore and fill with work and other unneccesary things. Her brother was no longer there and since his passing, she no longer had cared to dance. With that realization, she opened her misty eyes and avoided eye contact with her host.

"That was very beautiful, Ulquiorra. You are very talented, is it Dance of the Imagination by Greg Maroney? " she whispered.

"You recognized it?" Ulquiorra seemed pleased by this. The red haired girl nodded her head in agreement. She didn't want to ruin the mood by crying so she thought of a happier topic.

"I used to play a little as a young girl as well. Not as well as you, of course, but just some simple songs that friends and I would play together."

"I am afraid I never really had time for duets with other classmates. My parents were very strict and I was not allowed much company." He mentioned.

The smile on her face was full of understanding, "Maybe I could teach you a song? If that is okay with you?" she quietly asked. He signaled for her to sit next to him and he scooted over, "Uh, let's see. How about Chopsticks? It's simple enough for me," she paused and looked over at him. "One more thing, do not make fun of me during or after. I haven't played in years," she said as she giggled.

Ulquiorra nodded, "You may lead, Orihime." She began to play and he followed suit. Her fingers kept slipping and continuously played the wrong keys, which made her laugh even more. Ulquiorra finished his part of the song triumphantly, while Orihime tried desperately to salvage what she could of the song without success. She covered her face in embarrassment which muffled her laughter.

"Wow! That was much worse than I thought it would be."

Ulquiorra looked at her with a serious yet somewhat amused look, "It wasn't that bad," he paused, "Okay, maybe just a little…Alright, it was terrible." Orihime's mouth gaped at his amusing sincerity. She smiled and glanced down at the keys and lightly touched them. A sudden silence filled the room. They both quickly felt the close distance between them.

Ulquiorra took notice of the faint scent of magnolias that came from the woman sitting next to him. There was a slight heaviness in his chest and he could feel his pulse slightly quicken at the thought of his body getting closer to her. He noticed that she was biting her lower lip as she was staring at the piano keys. He glanced at her hair and wondered what it would feel like to run his hands through her silky strands. As if she could feel the gaze of his stare, she slowly turned her head to look at him.

Orihime held her breath as she made eye contact with his intense green eyes. She couldn't recall if she had ever seen such a piercing color on anyone before. Her mind was getting cloudy; it was getting really hard to think. The feeling of an invisible rope that pulled at their chest bringing them closer to each other became harder to resist. Ulquiorra had a burning desire to taste her lips and Orihime began to close eyes.

The intense moment was harshly interrupted by the sound of a telephone. Orihime's eyes flew open in surprise and as she pulled herself away from the intriguing man sitting next to her. She breathed heavily and a feeling of being exposed overwhelmed her. Ulquiorra furrowed his eyebrows and quickly stood, "Excuse me a moment," he said as he stepped out of the room.

Orihime looked around the room. She noticed a tiny clock and found that much time had passed. As she began to reflect on her previous moments, she felt embarrassed. Having just met him, Orihime didn't know what to think of her current situation. She had unknowingly broken into his house, found him half naked and fumbled many times in front of him. They had just shared several awkward moments, accompanied by dinner and tea, a very intimate piano recital and an incredibly awkward almost kiss. Reaching her hand to her chest, she could feel her heart violently thumping against it. Then she felt it; the sudden pressure on her temple that triggered her fight or flight response, together with her overwhelming feeling of exposure made her panic.

She stepped outside of the room and headed toward the front door and stopped. She could hear him speaking with someone on the other end of the line in the kitchen. Her sight blurred for a moment. It was the beginning of a migraine. _Perfect, _she sighed. Using that as another excuse, she opened the door and closed it gently behind her.

As Ulquiorra spoke to his editor, he noticed a movement in the direction of his neighbor's house. It was Orihime opening her door and quickly slipping inside her home. He sighed and continued speaking on the phone.

XXX

Orihime rushed into her apartment as fast as she could. She ran to her bathroom and reached for her medicine once she opened the cabinet. Throwing the pill inside her mouth, she turned the faucet on and leaned as she gulped water from the spout. She sighed as she slowly pulled herself away and turned the faucet off and leaned against the bathroom wall. Feeling her body slide down, she sat on the bathroom floor and breathed deeply. It had been months since her last headache and she didn't want a repeat of that. Throwing up was not something she particularly enjoyed doing.

Trying to not replay the moments she had just had in her head, she crawled out of the bathroom and into her bedroom. She noticed her temporary pet, Shiro, lying comfortably on her bed. "Ah, I can see you've made yourself at home already," she said to the yawning feline. Orihime looked for the light switch in her room and remembered that it was behind the open door. Turning the light on, she got up and grabbed her white nightgown and headed for the shower. She hoped that by the time she finished brushing her teeth, her medicine would have taken effect and make her sleep. And if there was any chance that it could also make her forget the odd evening she had, that would be great, too.

It had been quite some time since Orihime had been intimate with anyone. Her mind flashed to Ulquiorra's pale hands on the piano and the spark that had ignited while he so intricately played came back to her. She felt herself groan, _how could I have been so careless?_

Yet as she thought about it, such happiness had overwhelmed her for that moment and it had made her smile. Orihime's head began to swim with thoughts of her past and mixed with the ones in her present. She felt a sense of peace that only her medicine could give her during moments like this. Yet she still felt that spark of happiness. She finished with her shower, got dressed, brushed her teeth and with her eyes half closing, she went to bed. She dreamed of musical notes and dancing close to the moon and the stars and an unknown figure.

XXX

Ulquiorra lay awake in bed. The moon's bright beams were entering through his window. Yet that was not the reason for his unrest. His thoughts lazily kept heading to the woman who was probably asleep in the house next door. He had not played the piano in months, he had not the inspiration. Yet as he listened to the woman talk about passions as if she were talking about the weather, it quickly reminded him of the abandoned instrument that sat in a corner of his house. Not knowing as to why he wanted her to hear him play, he had immediately thought of a song to play for her. He remembered stealing glances from her as he had played. Noting that she had had her eyes closed and was swaying with the melody. For that one moment, Ulquiorra had wished to stay like that forever. Such unrealistic desires did not suit him, though.

Now here he was, awake, thinking of things that he should not be thinking about to his growing irritation. He was surprised that the moment they had shared scared her away so quickly. Ulquiorra did not blame her though; even for him it had been too sudden. And that was the trickiest part of all. From the very moment that he had met her, she had done nothing but made him trip over his own emotions and somehow question his understanding of people. Once he thought that he had figured her out, she would do something that would pull him out of his element. A lot was questionable with her around, it seemed.

Nevertheless, he was not going to waste anytime lying there when he could be getting some work done. He got up and headed toward his study but paused at the thought that maybe playing another tune on the piano might not sound so bad at the moment. His body created shadows as he crossed though the windows which interrupted the beams of light. Reaching the piano, he began to play a melancholy number. As he neared the end of the song, he heard a noise outside his window. Ulquiorra stood and headed toward the window a saw a small shadow run across. Following to see what it was, he headed toward the front door and opened it, only to find the neighbor's "temporary pet" looking up at him. It meowed at him. Ulquiorra furrowed his eyebrows as he wondered why the annoying beast was walking around outside and was not inside.

He heard another noise coming from the side of the house. _Voices?_ He thought. He quickly ran inside, opened the hall closet door and grabbed a bat. Glancing at the soon to be weapon, he ran his fingers at the word _Relampago_ that had been inscribed into the wood. Ulquiorra had always had the urge of using this but not necessarily to play baseball. He quickly walked outside and headed toward the side of the house. Edging closer to the corner of the house, he leaned and checked to see if he caught glimpse of anyone.

Rounding the house, he carefully stepped on the stones which were part of the walk way that led to his backyard. As the clouds began to part, he noticed a slight fog had set. Ulquiorra quickly turned as he heard someone humming behind him. Feeling slightly confused as to what was happening, he thought it almost dreamlike. A woman with long red hair and a white gown was dancing out on the middle of the street. Controlled movements and graceful pirouettes as the fog swirled around her were created a hypnotic effect that prevented Ulquiorra from looking away. He stood frozen in place without thinking. She extended her hands toward the moon which made her look hauntingly beautiful.

Ulquiorra's mind began to turn as he thought that the girl might possibly be crazy. He almost chuckled at the irony of it all as he realized that the single most interesting person that he had met in quite some time was plain out nutty. He then noticed her slow twirling body come to a completely stop, leaving her back facing him. He decided to get the girl inside before she ended up hurting herself.

"I think you should go back inside, Orihime." He called out to her.

She slowly turned and began to walk toward him at a slow pace. Ulquiorra sighed. _We can finally put an end to this foolishness,_ he thought. Bringing the bat down, he took a couple of steps toward her as well.

"I think…"paused Orihime, "…I think you should dance with me."

Ulquiorra's eyebrow rose. "I am not much of a dancer, sorry to disappoint you," was his reply.

Orihime kept her steady pace until she stood right in front of him. He noticed a boldness that had not been there earlier in the evening. Her eyes looked glazed and distant. He was sure that even though she was looking at him, she really was not focusing on him. She began to hum and her body began to sway to her music. Her body obediently moved to a waltz and she waltzed around Ulquiorra. His eyes followed her as she twirled behind him and back again. The movements of her body were starting to make him feel dizzy. He wanted to stop this.

It was getting foggier and the moonlight created shadows and reflections from the midnight dew which glittered around him. Orihime's heavy breathing could be heard and tiny beads of sweat appeared on her forehead as she continued to waltz. The transparency of her gown clung to her well-formed body that showed her nicely shaped mounds and the soft curves of her body as she delicately moved from side to side.

"Dance with me…"she whispered. "Just dance…humor me…take my hand." The echoing whispers filled his ears and to maybe humor her, he took her hand and pulled her close to his body. Ulquiorra could feel the heat that radiated from her body and he slid his hand behind her back to press her firmly against him. A slight moan escaped Orihime's lips as he did so. Her hand rose and she grasped his shirt and pulled him closer down closer to her. The same intense electricity that had crackled between them seemed tenfold at that moment. Ulquiorra lowered his head and rested his lips on hers, pressing softly at first.

Orihime pressed her body closer and she intensified her kiss as she opened her mouth and allowed him to enter. Their tongues created their own dance and their bodies felt the heat of such actions. Ulquiorra began to explore the curvature of her back with more freedom while pulling her closer to him while the other held the back of her neck. Their heavy moans and breaths were intensifying as their hands explored one another.

Finally separating from such passionate kiss, Ulquiorra began to kiss and lap his tongue on Orihime's neck. Smelling the sweet scent of magnolia within her hair, he felt his groin stiffen rapidly. As they slowly began grinding each other, Ulquiorra felt Orihime's body get heavier. She soon began to slowly slip down and he quickly caught her. He kneeled down and moved her hair out of her face.

"Orihime, are you okay? Hey, answer me?" he asked a bit worried. Using his hand to caress her skin, he tried to get her attention but noted that her eyes were now closed. _Shit, did she faint? _He asked himself. Ulquiorra picked her up swiftly and carried her in his arms and headed toward her house. He walked up the stairs carefully, as to not drop her. The girl may look thin but she certainly weighed her share. Opening the door and headed straight into her bedroom and he gently laid her down. As he hovered over her as he caught his breath, he could hear a slight snoring sound coming from the girl he had just placed on the bed.

Maybe, the girl was not so crazy after all.

XXX

**First**, I want to thank Alotika for letting me bug her time and time again so she would read and re-read this fic.

**Second**, if you haven't already noticed, Orihime suffers from a sleepwalking disorder calledsomnambulism; yes, it exists, I am living proof. It can make for fun entertainment for the people watching or that experience one of my episodes. I've had full conversations, meals, worked out and surfed the internet.

**Third**, if you want to know what melancholy song Ulquiorra was playing, I had it in my mind that he might have enjoyed this: Echo by Helen Jane Long. You should be able to put that on youtube and have it come up. I love that song. I had it on repeat while writing this chapter.

***I want to thank all who have reviewed. I truly appreciate it. I never thought I would say this but it does encourage one to keep writing. Thank you again!


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.

The Recluse

Chapter 4

Orihime nestled closer to her pillow and squeezed it. Feeling warm and comfortable on her bed, she smiled at the feeling of pleasantness that swept through her. She honestly couldn't remember the last time a smile appeared on her face during her transition from dream to reality. Her dreams must have been sweet yet she really couldn't remember. Opening her eyes slowly, they focused on her small clock next to her bed. She had woken up fifteen minutes before she was supposed to and with that thought, Orihime's smile got wider. It seemed as if it was going to be a very good day. She felt it. In the distance she could hear the songs of birds chirping. Using that as inspiration, she rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Once she was done brushing her teeth and washing her face, she opened the door and was heading toward her bedroom then she paused. Glancing to her left, there on the couch was the body of a sleeping man. He had his left arm over his face, while his other dangled off the couch.

Frozen, Orihime glanced around her apartment trying to locate something to protect herself with. Not having much luck, she quietly ran into her kitchen and frantically glanced around to see if she could find anything; her knives were still packed in the boxes. She quickly grabbed the broom and her cell phone and quickly dialed 911 but held off on the pressing the 'talk' button. Taking the broom and holding it out like a lance, she got closer to the sleeping intruder and was trying to decide where to poke him and just how hard. She looked on and found that the figure looked very familiar but she didn't want to take any chances, she was not going to end up chopped up into little pieces and then be fed to unknowing people in a restaurant. The very idea made her more determined to stand her ground. Yet, if she was going to be chopped up, wouldn't it make sense to do so while she had been asleep? And why was he sleeping on her couch? What a lazy executioner! Nothing made sense to her.

She stepped closer to the sleeping figure and she heard him groan. Startled by the noise, without thinking she jabbed the man below the ribs with a little more force than she intended, causing the man to rapidly shoot up and yell while grabbing the side of his body. Orihime stood back quickly in case she needed to run.

"Damn it, woman! What the hell is wrong with you?" he threw the question at her, still grasping his side as he slowly slid off the couch grimacing in pain.

"U-Ulquiorra?" she asked in surprise. He glared at her and tried to respond but what words formed from his mouth was unintelligible. The bewildered girl gasped and covered her mouth with her hands after dropping the broom as if it had burned her. Her ears burned at the fuming words he mumbled.

"What are you doing here? Oh! I am so sorry! B-b-but what _are_ you doing here?" she said as she ran to his aid.

"What does it look like I am doing, woman?" he said as he gasped for breath, "do you not remember anything that happened last night?" She looked at him in bewilderment for a moment and she shook her head.

Orihime responded in confusion, "I am sorry, but I have no idea what you are talking about."

As the pain subsided as he hovered over. He lifted his head toward the ceiling and tried to hold back a growl of exasperation. He looked over at her, "You really have no idea, huh?" She shook her head again. Ulquiorra let out a sigh and he tried to lean back yet the pain increased when he did so. He opted to remain exactly where he was.

"You were sleepwalking. I think…I hope." He said to her.

"Oh." She forced a grin as if she had been caught stealing. After a moment, she dropped her head down a little and she lowered her voice and Ulquiorra could barely make out what she was asking. "I didn't do anything…uh…questionable? I mean, you _were_ sleeping on my couch."

He let out a small chuckle and he attempted to stretch his side a little. "No. You did not do anything questionable; bizarre…yes, questionable…no."

"Bizarre? What did I do now?"

"Hmm, I see that this is a frequent occurrence for you?"

"It doesn't happen very often, but yes, I tend to sleepwalk. Not often though, but I have been known to walk around a bit?" she said sheepishly.

Ulquiorra took a deep breath and he slowly lifted himself from the couch taking care to not stretch a muscle or hurt his injured area any more than it was. Orihime tried to assist him but he only waved her assistance away, not in an offending manner.

"I shall be heading home now, I have much work to do and I run on a tight schedule." He said as he started walking away with his arm holding his side.

"Wait!"

Ulquiorra stopped; he wondered if he should tell her the truth. He looked back at her without fully turning around. "If you must know, the cat got into my yard and was scratching at my door, so I came to return it to the responsible party currently taking care of it. You felt uneasy and scared sleeping alone for some reason, so you asked me to sleep on your couch. What kind of heartless man would I be if I had declined to protect someone?"

Orihime looked slightly relieved that she had not made a fool of herself yet a new emotion appeared on her face. She was completely embarrassed.

"I'm sorry. It seems as if I keep causing nothing but trouble for you, I promise not to bother you again."

"You may do as you like," was his only reply.

Once again, her turned around and headed out the door. He was unsure as if her last words were meant for him or for herself but it made him feel sudden warmth inside.

"Ulquiorra…you are not heartless."

XXX

Ulquiorra stood in the shower feeling dazed. The fact that he had been up all night like a vigilante making sure that the woman did not escape to cause any more trouble had drained him of energy. Irritated at the fact that she had poked the hell out his side, Ulquiorra robotically rubbed where the broom had made contact; there was no possible way that he would be able to write a single line today. The entire time he had laid on her couch, he had been repeating the strange sleepwalking episode over and over again in his mind. He was still trying to comprehend just what had he been thinking when he kissed her. He was not the type of man to disrespect a woman, yet he had somehow let himself fall for her seduction too eagerly. What made the matter even more absurd was that the entire time…she had been asleep. The tired man had to admit, that was a first for him.

Sleep was his priority at the moment, not his deadlines or work for that matter. He needed to rest so he would be able to think with a clear mind. Once he was done with his shower and changed into some pajamas, Ulquiorra headed directly to bed. He wanted to be away from the waking world and without much effort; he had fallen asleep in no time.

XXX

Orihime dressed quickly and headed to work. The morning had started out great until she ended up with some random person in her house and well, basically that person was the one having a bad day; all because of her. She just couldn't understand why she caused so much trouble for this man. Orihime racked her brain trying to remember exactly when she had let him in her apartment. Sometimes she could remember bits and pieces of random sleep-walking incidents but not all the time. She did find it strange that the bottom of her feet had been incredibly dirty when she began putting on her heels. She had taken a shower the evening before and if she had only opened the door for Ulquiorra when he had brought in Shilo, then…she just couldn't put two and two together.

The car pulled up to its new parking spot and she headed into the office. Everyone was already busy and buzzing around the office.

"Hey, Orihime!" said Mizuiro.

"Good morning!" Orihime waved at him and said her hellos to everyone in the office. She rested her purse on her desk and began to prepare for her daily activities.

Orihime looked at knock on her door. It was Mizuiro, "Hey, just wanted to let you know that you might have to continue with your data entry since the receptionist apparently quit, I hope that's okay."

"Oh, yeah, no problem," she replied. Orihime looked back to where her co-worker was still standing, "is there something else, Mizuiro?"

"Yes, we've moved your appointment with Yuki to nine this morning. Due the lack of organization this week, we've had to move people around."

"Oh, well, I suppose that is okay. Nine you say? I hope I can have all his information up by the time he gets here," she said thoughtfully.

"Thanks, Orihime. I knew you would understand!" She smiled at him and nodded her head confirming that it was okay.

Orihime prepared what she could until her appointment. She opened Yuki's file and read his information:

_"Client is highly intelligent, does well at home, does chores, and is obedient. He does not engage in conversation with foster parents much and remains in his bedroom doing homework, listening to music or watching TV. Does well in school and has a great attendance record yet is not very sociable. He has mentioned that he does speak with a "friend", but only during lunch but they mainly speak about books. He is in good health, does not smoke or drink. Overall he is a model teenager but he chooses to remain unsociable, as he has so stated. Girls also have interest in him yet he has mentioned that he has never met anyone that was worth his interest. He is undecided about where he will attend college or what he would like to do once he graduates."_

Orihime leaned back in her chair and sighed. She had to think of a strategy about how she would get him to talk. So he liked books, she wondered what kind? Grabbing her notepad, she began to write a list of questions that she would be asking and prepared the forms for when he would be arriving. She stood up to head to the rest room when she heard a knock on the door. Orihime turned the knob and found the tall young man with a surprised look on his face.

"Yuki! I didn't mean to startle you. Please come in and sit down, I will be back in just one moment." She moved aside and he walked in and sat down. She rushed to do her business and came back feeling relaxed.

"Sorry, about that! I am sorry about the scheduling switch that they have done here. We are sort of scrambling since the secretary is gone." She glanced and smiled at him. He was dressed very neatly and sharp. He had khaki pants, white shirt underneath a chocolate brown vest, his hair was nicely combed and his shoes were shining brightly. Orihime noted that he was wearing an expensive watch.

"No need to worry, Mrs. Inoue. I understand that sometimes these things happen." he replied with a smile.

"Well, thank you for being understanding. By the way, it's Ms. Inoue, not Mrs."

"Ah, sorry about that..."

She waved it off and smiled. "It's okay. So…I do hope that you bear with me, I know you have spoken to many workers and you must be familiar with the whole procedure here. You can humor me today, if that's okay?"

"That's okay, ask away."

"Well, I wanted to speak to you about your living arrangements, your foster parents? Are you getting along with them okay?" she brought her clipboard that held the forms closer to her.

Yuki sat and gazed at her, "I think they are nice people, who have provided a lot for not only myself but for the other foster children as well. They seem genuine about wanting to help kids."

"I am glad that you can appreciate what they are trying to accomplish, we hope that all foster parents are like that. I see that you are great in school? That is great, Yuki! What classes do you seem to enjoy most?"

Yuki looked up from his shoes to look at her again; he looked up at the ceiling thinking about what to respond to her. "I like science; biology to be exact."

The questions continued for the remainder of the hour, Orihime noticed that Yuki seemed relaxed and comfortable and toward the end, he became a bit more talkative, especially when she brought up the subject of books. He read all sorts of book, not falling into a particular category yet he enjoyed science fiction a bit more. "Books are a great way to escape reality, Ms. Inoue. I love to read."

Orihime smiled at his comment. "Yuki that is a great thing-oh look at the time! I lost track a little bit, you need to head to school now."

"Actually summer school was this morning at 7:30AM is just for an hour, I am taking some advance college classes," he said.

"Oh, okay. Well, then, we will see each other not this Thursday but the following Thursday, then. Yuki it was really nice speaking with you today and I hope that we can learn to work together for your future okay?" she stood up and headed to the door and opened it for him. Yuki stood and somewhat towered over her and he nodded his head at her. Orihime noted that he had quickly glanced at her chest but she was somehow used to that already. After he left, she closed the door and made sure that the buttons on her blouse were done…yes, they were.

The woman sat down and continued her take on the day's meeting with her first client. He was polite, bright and he didn't seem to be bothered by anything, he seemed pretty well put together. She just hoped that he wasn't keeping all his emotions all bottled up inside, she knew how hard losing someone could be. If he felt remorse about what happened to his parents, then she would be there to help him out. Orihime wanted that young man to be successful even after having a horrible childhood.

The minutes passed and her stomach began to announce to her that she was hungry. She had been lost in work that she had not noticed that time. It was one o'clock. Orihime decided to head to the café down the street and eat lunch there while she worked on more of her files. She grabbed her purse and other paper work and headed out the door.

XXX

Orihime stood in line as she looked at the menu of options. _Mostly sandwiches,_ she thought to herself. A sandwich with lots of ketchup and some sauerkraut sounded good. When it was her turn, she ordered the regular sandwich with a side of condiments, while adding other ingredients as well with a cup of soup to dip her sandwich in. The man behind the counter stared at her for a moment and then asked if that was _all she wanted._ Orihime didn't miss that sarcastic tone of his but decided to ignore it; she didn't understand why people didn't like to experiment with their food. Eating the same thing every day was boring. She opened her purse and began to rummage through it, she glanced at the man who looked at her expectantly and she looked down at her purse in confusion. _What the heck? I know I had it in here! Great he's looking at me like I am crazy now. _She glanced at the café employee as she raised her index finger signaling him to wait. He sighed and rolled his eyes at her, then looking behind her at the long line of people waiting.

"I am not sure what happened, I know I _had _my walled this morning, or at least I think I did." She was starting to feel embarrassed and she nervously giggled. She felt an arm brush past her and saw that it handed money to the man waiting to be paid. She followed the arm and saw that it was attached to Yuki.

"Yuki, no! You can't do that, I am sorry but I can't accept!" she said even more embarrassed and was unsure of the odd situation that just arose.

"Ms. Inoue, there are other people waiting behind you. It's okay; I am just helping out and being a Good Samaritan."

Orihime glanced back at the long line of people standing behind her, who obviously looked very annoyed with her for taking so much time. She felt uncomfortable accepting his money but she reluctantly agreed.

Moving aside she looked at Yuki and said, "I am going to pay you back okay? I am just not sure what happened, I know I had my wallet this morning, at least I think I did. But thank you so much for saving me."

He grabbed her shoulders and moved her aside to make room for the other individuals who also wanted to order. She grabbed her tray when they called her number and she looked around unsure as to where to sit. She felt Yuki's hand guiding her toward one of the few empty tables; it looked like he had already been sitting there. Taking one last glance around the café, she found that indeed most seats were taken. As a social worker, she was not supposed to have this sort of contact with her clients; it was an opening for much misinterpretation and something that she wanted to avoid like the plague. Yet at the moment, she really had no choice.

* * *

><p>School is literally taking most of my time. I do not have time for anything unfortunately. I am slowly working on the next chapter. Thank you all for sticking with me and all who fav'd and put me on alert! Your support is awesome! Thank you! Reviews are helpful as well! This is sort of a shorter chapter than I wanted to post but I wanted to put something out there instead of waiting for a long time, so I cropped it. Thanks again!<p> 


End file.
